They shall bring forth children to the murderers

They shall bring forth children to the murderers.

Many children have been brought forth to the murderers even in this way. (But for the observations from the words.)

First, the curse of God stayes not upon the parents; but goes forwards to the children; it's for the sin of the parents that the children are to be brought forth to the murderers, and especially it staies not upon idolaters, but goes to their children. There are two branches in this note.

1. The curse of God staies not upon the parents, but goes towards the children; in Deuteronomy 28:18, 'Cursed shall be the fruit of your body,' and especially to the children of idolaters. In Psalm 137:8, 'O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be that rewardeth you as you have served us, happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth your little ones against the stones.' And in Isaiah 13:18, 'Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces, and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.' So in the second Commandment, the Lord there threatens to visit the sins of the fathers upon the children, to them that hate him, to the third and fourth generation.

You will say, Why should children suffer for their parents' sins?

You will kill young vipers and snakes though they never have stung. So, God sees guilt enough in the children of wicked men and of idolaters, so that in justice he may destroy them; but he does rather take advantage to destroy them, because they be the children of wicked men and of idolaters: as if a man commit treason, he deserves death then for his own fault; but if the King hear that his father and grandfather were traitors, he shall die the rather because of them. So it's true, the children of godly people have sin and guilt in them, as well as the children of wicked men. Yes, but the children of wicked men having guilt, and so liable to God's justice, God will take the advantage the rather to do them justice because their parents was wicked and ungodly; and this is righteous enough with God.

And the children of idolaters above all shall not be spared, and especially those that live to many years, because there is no sin that is so much strengthened from their ancestors, and the example of their forefathers as superstition and idolatry is. Why should we be wiser than our forefathers? What's the argument of our superstitious vanities, but our forefathers did thus? And therefore that's observable, that there's no commandment in the Ten that threatens God's judgments upon the children, but the second Commandment.

Because there's no commandment broken from the example and plea of forefathers as the second Commandment; and therefore let the children of idolaters and false worshipers look to it, that they repent from the sins of their forefathers. Instead of pleading for the sins of your forefathers, you should fall down and humble your souls for the sins of your forefathers, or otherwise that's the very reason that God will punish the sins of the forefathers upon the children, because their fathers did worship God in a false way, and they will do so too.

And then another note is this, that as this is a heavy fruit of God's curse upon a people for the parents' sins, for God's curse to follow to the children: so this is a special fruit of God's curse upon children, that they shall be brought forth to the murderers. In times of war if you make not your peace with God it's just with God that things should be ordered so that your children should be brought forth to the murderers. Oh! you tender hearted mothers, who are loath that the wind should blow upon your children, look upon them and pity them, how can you endure to see their blood gush out, how can you endure to see your little ones sprawling in the streets, or upon the pikes of the soldiers? If your hearts cannot endure this, seek to make your peace with God, to deliver your selves and your children from this curse that has befallen many. We know not what these wars may bring forth, what they have done in Ireland we have heard much of, how the parents have looked upon their children brought forth to the murderers; and though it's true, in many cities and places where the enemy has come they have not generally (at least) broke forth to such abominable cruelties as this is, but who knows what a summer or two may bring forth; for certainly where war continues it drives on with more and more rage.

You will say then, Oh! let us make peace upon any terms.

No, let it rather be your care to make your peace with God, that's your way to deliver your children from being brought forth to the murderers; for if it be a false peace it may be but a further way to bring forth your children to the murderers. It is an extreme sad curse of God, in this especially, when it shall come before their very parents' sight, for so the Prophet speaks as if they should be brought forth even before them. Many of the heathens have very pathetical expressions about the sad condition of parents when their children are slain before their eyes: as that of Priamus' son Polites that was slain by Pyrrhus, he cries to his gods, 'Oh! if there be any thing in Heaven that does take care of such things, come and revenge this,' says he, when as Pyrrhus slew his son before his eyes. You have before the very face of the father even sprinkled the blood of the child upon his face: he was not able to bear it though he saw himself ready to die next, but cries to the very heavens to revenge it. And that was a very sad story of the Emperor Mauritius, that his sons, and wife, and daughters were brought before his eyes and slain before him. This is the woful evil that falls upon kingdoms. And if your children did but understand this very text that now I am opening, they would even look upon you and cry with tears in their eyes, 'Oh Father! Oh Mother! Repent, repent, and seek God for your selves and for us, Oh! repent, and make up your peace with God that we may not be brought forth to the murderers.'

Oh! but if this be so great an evil for parents to have their children to be brought forth to the murderers here, how great an evil then is it for parents to bring forth children to be fuel for God's wrath for all eternity, to be the firebrands for God's wrath to burn upon, millions of years to all eternity? You then that are parents, and have children, look upon them and have such thoughts as these that may break your hearts, Oh! what a sad thing would it be that such a babe that came out of my womb should be a firebrand for God's wrath to burn upon to all eternity? Oh! how had I need pray and bring up my children in the fear of God, lest I should be such an unhappy father that out of my loins, should not only bring forth a child to the murderers, but for the devils in Hell? But let not this discourage you that are godly to venture your children in lawful wars, for when you shall labor to make up your peace with God, in such a cause if you be willing to sacrifice your children to God, if your child should be brought forth even to death, yet he is but brought forth even to martyrdom, rather than to the murderers. You should rather rejoice that you have a child to bring forth in such a cause, than to be overpressed with sorrow that the life of your child has been taken away with the murderers. And some of your children though with the loss of their own lives, yet they have been a means to keep you, and us all from the hand of the murderer, to keep the city and the kingdom from being overrun with tyranny, idolatry, and all kind of profaneness, and it may be worth the lives of your children that good that has been done. (Revelation 12:11) "And they overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the Word of their Testimony, and they loved not their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice you heavens, and you that dwell in them. They loved not their lives to the death: therefore rejoice you heavens, and them that dwell therein." When parents shall be willing to give up their children in the cause of God, even children shall be willing to sacrifice themselves in God's cause, (I say having made up their peace with God) then when they love not their lives to the death, there shall be joy in Heaven, and they shall overcome in dying even as Jesus Christ did. I remember I have read of Xenophon, when he was sacrificing to their idol gods, he wore a crown upon his head, and there came news to him that his child was dead, he presently pulls his crown from off his head in token of sorrow. But then asking how he died, answer was made, that he died in the wars: then he calls for his crown again. So perhaps some of you have lost your children, nature cannot but work, yes but then ask how they lost their lives, they lost their lives valiantly in a work that did as much concern the glory of God as ever any war did, and seeing they died so, rather bless God than be so sorrowful that they fell into the hand of murderers. It follows.